Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE (born 28 October 1927) is an English jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range. Though her natural range is that of a contralto she is able to produce a "G above high C" giving her an overall compass of well over three octaves.Pleasants, H. (1985). The Great American Popular Singers. Simon and Schuster Laine is the only female performer to have received Grammy nominations in the jazz, popular and classical music categories. She is the widow of jazz composer Sir John Dankworth. Laine was born Clementina Dinah Bullock in Southall, Middlesex, to Alexander Campbell, a black Jamaican father, and his wife, Minnie (née Bullock), a white English mother, from Swindon, Wiltshire. Laine's mother sent her for singing and dancing lessons at an early age. She attended the Board School in Featherstone Road, until recently Featherstone Primary School. She worked as an apprentice hairdresser, librarian and for a pawnbroker, married in 1947 (divorced 1957) to George Langridge, a roof tiler, and had a son, Stuart.Sunday Independent, 20 July 2008Cleo Laine, Cleo (Simon and Schuster, 1997) Early career Laine did not take up singing professionally until her mid-twenties. She auditioned successfully for a band led by musician John Dankworth (1927–2010), with which she performed until 1958, when she married Dankworth in secret at Hampstead Register Office. The only witnesses were the couple's friend, pianist Ken Moule, and his arranger, David Lindup. The couple had two children, Alec and Jacqui, both successful musicians. Laine began her career as a singer and actress. She played the lead in a new play at London's Royal Court Theatre, home of the new wave of playwrights of the 1950s such as John Osborne and Harold Pinter. This led to other stage performances such as the musical Valmouth in 1959, the play A Time to Laugh (with Robert Morley and Ruth Gordon) in 1962, Boots With Strawberry Jam (with John Neville) in 1968, and eventually to her show-stopping Julie in Wendy Toye's production of Show Boat at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1971. 1960s–1970s: Recording and performing success During this period she had two major recording successes. "You'll Answer to Me" reached the British Top 10 while Laine was 'prima donna' in the 1961 Edinburgh Festival production of Kurt Weill's opera/ballet The Seven Deadly Sins, directed and choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan. In 1964 her Shakespeare and All that Jazz album with Dankworth received widespread critical acclaim. Laine's international activities began in 1972, with a successful first tour of Australia. Shortly afterwards, her career in the United States was launched with a concert at New York's Lincoln Center, followed in 1973 by the first of many Carnegie Hall appearances. Coast-to-coast tours of the U.S. and Canada soon followed, and with them a succession of record albums and television appearances, including The Muppet Show in 1977. This led, after several nominations, to her first Grammy award, in recognition of the live recording of her 1983 Carnegie concert. She has collaborated with many well-known classical musicians including James Galway, Nigel Kennedy, Julian Lloyd Webber and John Williams. Other important recordings during that time were duet albums with Ray Charles (Porgy and Bess) as well as Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, which won Laine a classical Grammy nomination. 1980s–1990s: Broadway and a Grammy Laine's relationship with the musical theatre started in Britain and continued in the United States with starring performances in Sondheim's A Little Night Music and The Merry Widow (Michigan Opera). In 1980 she starred in Colette, a new musical by Dankworth. The show originally opened at The Stables Theatre, Wavendon in 1979 and transferred to the Comedy Theatre, London in September 1980. In 1985 she originated the role of Princess Puffer in the Broadway hit musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, for which she received a Tony nomination, and in 1989 she received the Los Angeles critics' acclaim for her portrayal of the Witch in Sondheim's Into the Woods. In 1979 Laine was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music. In 1983 Laine won the Grammy Award - Best Female Jazz Vocalist, for Cleo at Carnegie: The 10th Anniversary Concert. In May 1992 Laine appeared with Frank Sinatra for a week of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London. She told a reporter in 2007: "I was very impressed with his singing, to me he sounded even better in those concerts than he did on the records. It was a real thrill to be part of his show." Laine recorded more albums, including one with another jazz legend Mel Tormé (Nothing Without You). In 1991 she recorded the 12-track CD Jazz for the RCA label, which featured her vocals on classics such as "Lady Be Good", "St. Louis Blues" and "The Midnight Sun". The album also featured jazz musicians Gerry Mulligan, Clark Terry and Toots Thielemans. She also returned to Carnegie Hall during the late 1990s to mark 25 years since her hit record Cleo - Live At Carnegie. Her performance was recorded and released as Cleo Laine - Live In Manhattan. 2000s: Recognition and honours By the late 1990s, Laine became regarded as one of the top jazz vocalists of all time - in the same league as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. Her concerts sold out across the globe, usually supported by Dankwoth with his band, orchestra or smaller group. Her usual band included John Horler (piano), Alec Dankworth (bass), Allan Ganley (drums) and Mark Nightingale (trombone). Laine's autobiography, Cleo, was published in September 1994 by Simon & Schuster. Her second book, You Can Sing If You Want To, was published by Victor Gollancz in October 1997. In the 1997 New Year's Honours list, Laine's membership of the order was elevated to Dame Commander, and she was appointed Dame Cleo Laine DBE (the equivalent of a knighthood for women). In the 2006 New Year's Honours list, her husband was made a knight bachelor, becoming Sir John Dankworth. They were one of the few couples where both partners held their titles in their own right and the only couple in jazz to be thus recognised. On 28 October 2007, Laine turned 80. She marked her birthday with a series of special concerts in the United Kingdom, including an appearance with the John Dankworth Sextet at Birmingham Town Hall on 18 December 2007. She said of her milestone birthday: "I don't think about being 80. What would be the point? I'm limping a bit because they've given me a new knee, but that's about the only difference. I don't want to start thinking about what I should or shouldn't be doing at my age. It's not right." To celebrate the 80th birthdays of both Laine and Dankworth, Union Square Music released the four disc box set I Hear Music - the most comprehensive and lovingly produced examination of their careers ever assembled: Disc 1: Early Days (1944–56), Disc 2: John, Big Band and The Movies (1956–74), Disc 3: Focus On Cleo (1955–91), Disc 4: A Family Affair (including recordings made with their children, Alec and Jacqui, from 1982 to 2005). In 2008, Dankworth and Laine won the Gold Award at the BBC Jazz Awards. The couple got a standing ovation for their performance with Guy Barker's specially-assembled big band at the finale of the award ceremony. A New York critic wrote of Laine and Dankworth's September 2008 engagement at Blue Note: "Dankworth’s alto sax and clarinet sound as gossamer as ever, while Laine’s voice remains a wonder of agility and plummy richness. After 57 years of dual music-making (and 50 of marriage), the Dankworths can anticipate one another’s every move; they make a stage seem as comfortable as their living room." In 2010, Laine and her husband appeared in an episode of the cult CBeebies children's show ZingZillas. The episode was called 'ScatZilla!'. Voice Laine is famed for not only her interpretative style, but also her four-octave range and vocal adaptability. As well as hitting deep soulful notes, Laine's thrilling scatting and crystalline top notes have become her signature. Though her natural range is that of a contralto she is able to produce a "G above high C". Derek Jewel of the Sunday Times dubbed her "quite simply the best singer in the world." The longevity of Laine's voice has also been noted by, amongst others, her husband. At the age of 80 her vocals, he noted during an interview, were almost unchanged from decades earlier. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Lena Horne were all influences on Laine when she was young. Death of Sir John Dankworth Dankworth died on 6 February 2010, hours before a planned concert at The Stables Theatre in Wavendon to celebrate the venue's 40th anniversary. He had been ill for several months following a concert tour in the United States. Despite her grief, Laine performed at the 40th anniversary concert, along with the John Dankworth Big Band and several members of her family - only announcing his death at the end. Laine's decision to perform featured on newspaper front pages all over the world, including a full photograph of her on the front page of The Times. A week after Dankworth's death, Laine stepped in for her late husband and appeared again in concert at Pinner in North West London. Laine has continued to perform and give interviews in the months following Dankworth's death. She appeared as a headline act at the Music in the Garden festival at Wavendon in June and July 2010. In March 2010, Laine and Dankworth's final musical collaboration was released on CD and for download - Jazz Matters. The recording featured the Dankworth Big Band playing new compositions written by Dankworth for the couple's performance at the 2007 Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. The Stables Theatre Dankworth and Laine founded The Stables Theatre in 1970 in what was the old stables block in the grounds of their home. It was an immediate success with forty seven concerts given in the first year. The venue now presents over 350 concerts and around 250 education events in its two auditoria; the 400 seat Jim Marshall Auditorium, and smaller studio space at Stage 2. The venue was completely rebuilt in 2000, with the new foyer following the plan of the original theatre, with a subsequent development in 2007 to create Stage 2. On 6 February 2010 it celebrated its 40th anniversary with a gala concert starring Laine. Discography * 1950–52 '' Get Happy'' Esquire ESQ317 Reissued in 1985–6 (3 tracks) * 1955 '' Cleo Sings British'' (10") Esquire * 1957 '' Meet Cleo Laine '' * 1957 '' In Retrospect '' MGM * 1957 '' She's the Tops '' MGM 2354026 * 1959 '' Valmouth (original cast) '' Pye * 1961 '' Jazz Date (with Tubby Hayes) '' Wing * 1961 '' Spotlight on Cleo '' * 1962 '' All About Me '' Fontana * 196? '' Cleo Laine Jazz Master Series '' DRG Records MRS 502 * 1963 '' Cindy''Ella (orig cast of 1962 Xmas production) '' Decca * 1963 '' Beyond the Blues (American Negro Poetry) '' Argo * 1964 '' Shakespeare and All that Jazz '' Fontana * 1964 '' This is Cleo Laine '' Shakespeare and All That Jazz '' Philips * 1966 '' Woman Talk '' Fontana * 1967 '' Facade (with Annie Ross) British reissue: Philips '' Fontana * 1968 '' If We Lived on Top of a Mountain '' Fontana * 1968 '' Soliloquy '' Fontana * 1969 '' The Idol (Dankworth soundtrack w/ 2 Cleo vocals) '' Fontana * 1969 '' The Unbelievable Miss Cleo Laine '' Fontana * 1971 '' Portrait '' Philips * 1972 '' An Evening with Cleo Laine and the John Dankworth Quartet '' Philips, Sepia * 1972 '' Feel the Warm '' Philips * 1972 '' Showboat (single LP) '' EMI''Columbia * 1972 '' Showboat (double LP) '' EMI/Stanyan * 1972 '' This is Cleo Laine '' EMI * 1973 '' I Am A Song '' RCA * 1973 '' Day by Day '' Stanyan * 1974 '' Live at Carnegie Hall '' RCA * 1974 '' Close''Up '' RCA * 1974 '' Pierrot Lunaire (Schoenberg) Ives Songs '' RCA * 1974 '' A Beautiful Thing (with James Galway) '' RCA * 1974 '' Easy Living (anthology of Fontana tracks) '' RCA * 1974 '' Spotlight on Cleo Laine (double LP) '' Philips * 1974 '' Cleo's Choice '' Pye * 1975 '' Cleo's Choice (abridged issue on Quintessence Jazz) '' Quintessence * 1975 '' The Unbelievable Miss Cleo Laine '' Contour 6870675 * 1975 '' Born on a Friday '' RCA * 1976 '' Close''Up (re''issue?) '' Victor * 1976 '' Live at the Wavendon Festival '' BBC (Black Lion) * 1976 '' Porgy & Bess (with Ray Charles) '' London * 1976 '' Return to Carnegie '' RCA * 1976 '' Best Friends (with John Williams) '' RCA * 1976 '' Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz in the '70's '' RCA * 1977 '' 20 Famous Show Hits '' Arcade * 1977 '' The Sly Cormorant (read by Cleo and Brian Patten) '' Argo (Decca) * 19?? '' Romantic Cleo '' RCA 42750 * 1978 '' Showbiz Personalities of 1977 '' 9279304 * 1978 '' The Early Years '' Pye GH653 * 1978 '' Gonna Get Through '' RCA * 1978 '' A Lover & His Lass '' Esquire Treasure * 1978 '' Wordsongs (double LP) '' RCA * 1979 '' One More Day '' DRG * 1979 '' The Cleo Laine Collection (double LP) '' RCA * 1980 '' Cleo's Choice (re''issue?) '' Pickwick * 1980 '' Collette (original cast) '' Sepia * 1980 Sometimes When We Touch (with James Galway) '' RCA * 1980 '' The Incomparable '' Black Lion BLM51006 * 1981 '' One More Day '' Sepia * 1982 '' Smilin' Through (with Dudley Moore) '' CBS * 1983 '' Platinum Collection (double LP) '' Magenta * 1983 '' Off the Record '' WEA Sierra GFE DD1003 * 1984 '' Let the Music Take You (w/ John Williams) '' CBS * 1985 '' Cleo at Carnegie '' the 10th Anniversary Concert '' RCA * 1985 '' That Old Feeling '' CBS * 1985 '' Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra, * 1985 '' The John Dankworth 7 '' featuring Cleo Laine" '' EMI * 1986 '' Wordsongs '' Westminster * 1986 '' The Mystery of Edwin Drood '' Philips * 1986 '' Unforgettable '' 16 Golden Classics '' Castle * 1986 '' Cleo Laine '' The Essential Collection '' Sierra * 1987 '' Unforgettable '' PRT * 1987 '' Classic Gershwin (1 track on this CD, '' Embraceable You) CBS * 1988 '' Cleo Laine Sings Sondheim '' RCA * 1988 '' Showboat (re''issue of 1972 cast album) '' EMI/Stanyan * 1988 '' Cleo Laine & John Dankworth '' Shakespeare and All That Jazz '' Affinity * 1989 '' Woman to Woman '' RCA * 1989 '' Jazz '' RCA * 1989 '' Portrait of a Song Stylist '' Harmony * 1991 '' Young At Heart '' Castle ATJCD 5959 * 1991 '' Spotlight on Cleo Laine '' Phonogram 848129.2 * 1991 '' Pachebel's Greatest Hits (1 track) '' RCA * 1992 ''Nothing Without You (with Mel Tormé) '' Concord * 1993 '' On the Town (1 track) * 1994 '' I Am a Song '' RCA * 1994 ''Blue and Sentimental RCA * 1995 '' Solitude '' RCA * 1997 '' The Very Best of Cleo Laine '' RCA * 1997 '' Mad About the Boy '' Abracadabra * 1998 '' Ridin' High (Early Sessions) '' Koch * 1998 '' Trav'lin' Light: The Johnny Mercer Songbook (1 track) '' Verve * 1998 '' Let's Be Frank (1 track) '' MCA * 1998 '' The Collection '' Spectrum Music * 1999 '' Sondheim Tonight '' Live From the Barbican (1 track) '' Jay * 1999 '' The Best of Cleo Laine '' Redial * 1999 '' The Silver Anniversary Concert (Carnegie Hall, Limited Edition) '' Sepia * 1999 '' Christmas at the Stables * 1999 '' That Old Feeling'' Sony * 2001 '' Quintessential Cleo '' Gold Label * 2001 '' Live in Manhattan '' Gold Label * 2002 '' Quality Time '' Universal/Absolute * 2003 '' Loesser Genius '' Qnote * 2005 '' Once Upon A Time '' Qnote * 2006 '' London Pride (2 tracks with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra)'' Castle Pulse * 2010 '' Jazz Matters '' Qnote Awards and recognition * Honorary doctorates: ** Berklee College of Music, Boston ** University of Cambridge ** University of York ** Open University ** University of Luton * 1985 Grammy Award, Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female * Made Honorary Fellow of Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge * The Worshipful Company of Musicians awarded her their Silver Medal for a Lifetime Contribution to British Jazz (1998) * Lifetime Achievement Award to Laine by the US recording industry (1991) * Worshipful Company of Musicians awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. * Made an ambassador for SOS Children's Villages UK in recognition of her support for the Cambridge based charity. * 2008 BBC Jazz Awards - Gold Award. A street in Adelaide, South Australia was named "Cleo Lane" after her.Abc.net.au References External links *Official website *Cleo Laine as 'Colette' (1980) * * * *Record label *Radio interview with Nathan Morley from April, 2010. Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation *Clip of TV performance *Daily Telegraph profile, 2 August 2007 *[http://music.guardian.co.uk/jazz/johnfordham/story/0,,2211160,00.html John Fordham, Beethoven with a Bass Guitar? Fine! (interview with Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth), The Guardian, 15 November 2007] Category:Vocalists